During a battle at the new Pokemon Gym in Pallet, Ash battled for the Element badge! After an exciting Pokemon match, Ash's new companion Growlithe, triumphed over Neesha's longtime companion, Shell Shocker. Now Ash is making his way to Viridian City, accompanied by long time rival and friend Gary Oak.

It didn't take long to get to Viridian City from Pallet. A two day travel, but when traveling with a friend it felt like no time at all.

Gary was observing a flock of wild Pidgeotto while Ash contemplated catching one of the flying Pokemon. But it made him think of his own longtime friend Pidgeotto that evolved into Pidgeot shortly before departing from his team. Despite not having Pidegot anymore, Ash still carried its Pokeball in his backpack.

He ran into Pidegot a time or two, but it wasn't ready to return to Ash's side yet... Ash was actually starting to think that he'd never be able to have his old friend back on his team. It depressed him.

"FearOWWWWWWWWW!" He heard echo around the woods they were in.

"That thing sounds hurt!" Ash yelled, running to the source of the cry.

"Ash wait up!" Gary said, throwing all his stuff in his bag and taking off after the trainer.

It took him a minute to reach the injured Fearow. Its wing was bent and the Pokemon was clearly in agony.

"It's gonna be okay..." Ash comforted it, trying to approach it.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu protested

"Ash don't..." Gary began, but the Fearow had already snapped at Ash, biting his leg.

"Ow!" He complained, falling to the ground, unable to stand.

"Pika...!" Pikachu began charging up for a thunder shock.

"Hold it there buddy." Gary said calmly, approaching Ash slowly and waving Pikachu off. Pikachu watched him curiously, wanting to be prepared to shock Fearow if he hurt Gary too.

"Fearow!"

"Umbreon come on out!" Gary held his Pokeball, releasing his moonlight Pokemon.

"Umbreon."

"Use attract and calm down Fearow!" Gary commanded.

"Breeeeeee." Umbreon charged up, her eyes glowing.

"Fearow?" Fearow complained, no longer in a rage.

"Keep Fearow calm."

"Bree." Umbreon agreed.

It took Gary only a couple minutes to wrap up Ash's injured leg, Fearow's wing was a different story.

"I didn't even know you had a Pokemon on you." Ash admitted.

"Just Umbreon and Blastoise for protection, in case I get attacked by anything wild." Gary was going through his medical supplies but couldn't find anything too helpful.

"I could go to town and bring back help." Ash offered, sitting on a rock and trying to stand up.

Gary rushed over and caught him before he fell.

"Easy there Ash. Your leg needs to heal."

"Pika." Pikachu agreed.

"I guess I could go to town and bring back help." Gary pondered.

"Guess who?" A familiar trio of voices called aloud.

"No way." Ash said, turning to face the sources.

"Prepare for more trouble than you'll ever see." A female voice announced.

"And make it double, just for me." A male voice answered.

"To protect the world from an annoying Pokemon trainer." Jesse appeared, standing on a rock ledge.

"To unite our people against him is a no-brainer." James, too, dropped onto the ledge, reciting his own lines.

"To steal his Pikachu, and make it our own." Jesse continued.

"To conquer the world, our arsenal has grown!" James spread his hands out and behind him was a giant spider robot with huge pincers.

"Jesse."

"And James."

"Meowth, that's the name." Meowth agreed from inside the robot.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or you will surely lose the fight."

"Meowth that's right!"

"Not you losers again." Gary complained.

"They never leave us alone." Ash pointed at Team Rocket. "Pikachu Thunderbolt now!"

"Pika! Chu!"

Jesse and James quickly ducked into the robot that wa well insulated from electrical atacks.

"Sorry twerp, but we came prepared for the weather!" James said, pushing a button on the console. The wind picked up, blowing Pikachu and Umbreon several feet backwards.

"Pikachu!" Ash called.

"Umbreon no!"

"Oh look, it's an Umbreon. Let's grab it!" Jesse decided. The giant spider spit a web out of its mouth, wrapping Pikachu and Umbreon in a silky web substance.

"No!" Gary and Ash yelled at the same time.

"Blastoise we need you!" Gary yelled, releasing the heavy Pokemon. "Hydro Pump!"

"Blastttt..." Blastoise took aim and fired.

"You think we didn't expect rain..." James began.

"Not on my parade!" Meowth said, pushing a button that blew all of the water back towards Gary's first Pokemon.

"Now we'll see how you do when you're all wrapped up." Jesse said, sending a web Blastoise's way.

"Dodge it quick, rapid spin!" But Blastoise wasn't fast enough... he was too big.

"Blast..." Blastoise complained.

"Growlithe you're up!" Ash said, throwing his Pokeball.

"Hey, when did the twerp get a Growlithe?" Meowth asked.

"It doesn't matter, we'll take that too." Jesse said, pounding the web button.

"Growlithe flamethrower!"

Just before the web hut, Growlithe released a barrage of flame that burned the web to a crisp.

"Now free Blastoise!"

"A hot summer day wasn't on the heat index!" Meowth complained.

"I call for a hundred percent chance of wind!" James said, punching another button.

"Growlithe!" Blastoise's cannons were freed, but the rest of him remained wrapped while Growlithe lost his footing due to the increased wind.

"Our little Pidgeotto, Spearow, and Fearow gust maker works perfectly." Jesse said confidently.

"We're gonna get Pikachu now."

"Blastoise use water gun on Pikachu." Gary told him.

"Blast!" Blastoise managed to turn slightly, aiming a water spout at Pikachu.

"Thunder bolt!" Ash called.

"Pikachu!" The webs disappeared.

"What just happened?" James asked, the wind turbine failing.

A flock of flying types appeared in their viewing screens.

"Uh oh."

"Did the weatherman call for a tornado?" Meowth complained.

"Fearow!" Fearow commanded.

"You two help out too. Thunderbolt Pikachu, Growlithe flamethrower!"

"Blastoise, Umbreon use hydro pump and pyschic!"

The flying Pokemon used gust, blowing away Team Rocket in a blaze of fire, lightning, wind, and water.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Ash yelled to them as they disappeared into the sky.

"Fearow!"

After the flying Pokemon flew away, Gary set to fixing up the wing of the injured Fearow.

"We heard the explosion!" Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy appeared shortly later, improving Gary's work slightly

Ash and Gary smiled to each other, "We were just catching up with Team Rocket." Gary explained.

"Yeah." Ash agreed. "They had such a blast..."

"That they left without any Pokemon." Ash and Gary laughed at their jokes.

It wasn't hard to transfer Fearow to the Pokemon center in Viridian City. Gary had earned the Fearow's trust, and so allowed him to follow along every step of the way.

When Fearow was released from the Pokemon Center Ash thought for sure that Fearow would go with his friend. But there was a flock of Spearow waiting for its leader to return.

"Good luck Fearow." Ash said, patting its beak.

"Take care of yourself." Gary agreed.

"Fearow!" Fearow called, taking off into the night.

That night, they slept at the Pokemon center.

Ash woke up in the middle of the night from a dream.

In the dream he saw her again. She was there... at the Cerulean City gym, waiting for him to come back. She wanted to come with him again.

But he knew she couldn't. Her sisters would shut down the Pokemon gym if Misty didn't lead it. They just weren't that big of fans of battling, and Misty was dedicated to keeping the good name of Cerulean City and its gym alive.

Ash walked over the phone and considered calling his mom... or even Misty. But he decided against it. It was still late.

Instead he took a walk outside the Pokemon Center and ended up in front of the Viridian City gym.

It looked the same as when he'd entered it before, except the guards that stood there blocking him from entering and watching Gary's battle were no longer there.

He knew he'd have a hard time beating this gym. A ground type had no weakness to fire. And he didn't know what specific Pokemon would be used or how this person battled like he did with Neesha. (admittedly, he'd only seen the one battle with her Blastoise, but still it gave him an idea.)

Ash realized that Growlithe would have to overcome the next three gyms and each of them would have a type advantage. Ground, rock, and water. Fortunately, once he made it to Vermilion City, he could use his old Pokemon, but that's only if he gets all three badges.

"I will get all three of those badges." Ash told himself. "Growlithe doesn't need a type advantage."

Ash went back in to grab a fishing pole and Gliscor. Pikachu was still sleeping, cuddling a bottle of Ketchup. But he figured that a water type would help him tomorrow.

"All right Gliscor come on out!" Ash said, chucking his Pokeball in the air.

"Glisc!"

"All right, we're here to catch a water Pokemon. Now let's do it!" Ash set the line with bait and threw it.

An hour passed with a nibble, Gliscor found a branch it liked and took a snooze hanging from it... before long, Ash fell asleep too.

A tug on the line jostled him awake.

"WOAH!" Ash screamed, holding the fishing pole tightly. "Gliscor wake up this is it!"

"MagiKarp, Magikarp, Magikarp..." MagiKarp complained, flailing around in the water.

Ash facepalmed and spun his hat around. "Don't worry Gliscor, I got this. Magikarp!" He called, "You're mine!" He threw the Pokeball at the Pokemon, knowing that careful training would allow it to evolve into one of the most dependable Pokemon in Kanto.

Magikarp entered the Pokeball, but popped out instantly.

"What just happened?" Ash said, pulling out the Pokedex to analyze the failed Pokeball.

"Magikarp, the flailing karp Pokemon. If a Magikarp is unable to be caught, it is likely to belong to another trainer." Dexter explained.

"Another trainer?" Ash complained, "But I wanted a Gyrados!"

"Magikarp, Magikarp, Magikarp."

Ash unhooked it from the line and set the Magikarp back into the water.

"Sorry budddy, I thought you were wild."

"Magikarp."

"Gliscor."

"We'll just have to try again, won't we Gliscor?"

"Glisc."

Ash and Gliscor waited until the sun came up for a water Pokemon to appear, but none did.

"Bummer." Ash said, reeling in the line slowly.

"Seel!" A wild Seel appeared with the line in it's mouth. "Seel."

"Wow! A Seel." He pulled out his Pokedex to download the wild Pokemon's data.

"Seel, the sea lion Pokemon of the water element. Usually found during cold weather months, beneath sheets of ice. Seel has a strong horn on its head and is capable of using it for devastating attacks." Dexter informed Ash.

"Sounds like my kind of Pokemon." Ash decided. "Gliscor let's go."

"Gliscor." Gliscor agreed.

"Seel." Seel stated, jumping out of the water and headbutting Gliscor.

"Glisc!" Gliscor argued.

"Gliscor it's coming in for another horn attack, use harden!"

"Gliscor." Ash's Pokemon agreed, boosting its defense.

"Seel." Seel complained after its horn bounced harmlessly off Gliscor.

"Gliscor use thunder fang!"

"Gliscor!"

Seel sent up an ice beam that narrowly missed the attacking Pokemon.

"Try another one!" Ash urged, watching his Pokemon clamp down with a thunder fang.

"Seel." Seel cried, falling to the ground in defeat.

"Pokeball go!" Ash whipped the Pokeball at the sea lion and watched it shake around for a few seconds.

The Pokeball clicked.

"Yes!" Ash ran to grab the Pokeball and hug Gliscor. "You did it Gliscor! We caught a Seel!"

As soon as Nurse Joy woke up and was ready to roll, Ash handed over the two Pokeballs containing Seel and Gliscor.

"Great job buddy." Ash said to Gliscor's Pokeball as it was taken to the back.

Now that Pikachu and Gary were up and moving, Ash grabbed Tauros, Growlithe, and his bag.

When the Pokemon were healed, Ash spent the entire day training Growlithe and Seel. He taught Growlithe using Seel, Tauros, and Gliscor. Seel battled Gliscor, but under Ash's command, while Gliscor was led by Gary. Ash also had Seel battle Pikachu (which naturally resulted in several defeats for the young water type). But it seemed that Seel was competitive enough to want to keep up.

Once Seel was moved to the river to battle Pikachu, the electric mouse could shock the water, but was ordered not to to improve Seel's training. Just getting your butt kicked doesn't really help you out if you don't learn something from it.

"Seel!" Seel yelled, complaining about Pikachu's powerful Iron Tail. "Seel... Seel!" Chunks of ice were flung at Pikachu, who narrowly avoided all but the last one.

"Pika!"

"Seel stop!" Ash told it.

"Seel." Seel agreed, clapping for itself. "Seel, Seel, Seel..."

"Good job body, that was a great move." Ash pulled out Dexter to analyze the move.

"Ice shard," Dexter explained, "A powerful ice type move that deals damage and works at a superior speed than traditional attacks. It possesses the ability to fling chunks of ice at the opponent."

"Ice shard is a really great attack." Gary added after Ash put Dexter away. "It'll really help you out in the gym battle here in Viridian City, but I wouldn't recommend it once you reach Pewter City."

"Right." Ash nodded. "I'm gonna try and catch another new Pokemon before we battle for the Earth badge. What do you say guys?" Ash asked his five Pokemon.

"Gliscor!"

"Tauros!"

"Pika!"

"Seel!"

"Growlithe."

"Well, I guess we'll be here for a little while." Gary stated.

"Yeah, is that okay?"

"Sure Ash. I've got more than a few weeks before I need to be in Cerulean City, so we can take our time and capture as many new Pokemon as we can. And I'll study all of your catches that I haven't caught before!"

"Sounds good!" Ash and Gary shook hands and went to Viridian Forest. "This is as good a place as any to start looking for a grass type to help me beat Sud! Let's do it!" Ash yelled, running into the forest with Pikachu on his shoulder, and Growlithe barking happily behind him.

"Hey Ash, wait up!" Gary yelled, running after Ash...

And so with a new addition to his team, Ash is as optimistic as ever! Now he is going to have to train harder than ever to get his next badge and be one step closer to the Pokemon League! As for Team Rocket... we'll they're one step closer to a hive of sleepy bug Pokemon...

"Don't move." Jesse whispered, hoping that the Beedrill wouldn't wake up.

"Nice Beedril, good Beedrill." James cooed, receiving a smack on the head from Jesse.

"We need to grab that Growlithe now too." Meowth said, trying to figure their best way out of this place. "There's only one thing to do!"

"Capture all of these Beedrill and use them in our takeover of the world?"

"You bet ya!" Meowth exclaimed.

"What have you done?" James and Jesse demanded as the Beedrill swarmed them...

"RUNNNNNNNNN!"

Uh oh. Looks like Team Rocket's running off again!


Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and Ash's newest catch.

A note, I'm going to try and use several various Pokemon from his journeys as well as the ones he catches now. It will just depend on where he is and what he's trying to do. After he catches a sixth Pokemon, he will return another to Professor Oak so he can build up a full party of five (Pikachu being the sixth)

Thanks again, keep the reviews coming! And we'll see you next time